Wear part monitoring

ABSTRACT

A process and tool for monitoring the status, health, and performance of wear parts used on earth working equipment. The process and tool allow the operator to optimize the performance of the earth working equipment. The tool has a clear line of site to the wear parts during use and may be integrated with a bucket or blade on the earth working equipment.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefits to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/908,458 filed Nov. 25, 2013 and entitled “Wear PartMonitoring,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a system and tool for monitoring thestatus, health, and performance of wear parts used on various kinds ofearth working equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In mining and construction, wear parts (e.g., teeth, shrouds, and lips)are commonly provided along the edges of excavating equipment to protectthe underlying equipment from undue wear and, in some cases, alsoperform other functions such as breaking up the ground ahead of thedigging edge. For example, buckets for dragline machines, cable shovels,face shovels, hydraulic excavators, and the like are typically providedwith multiple wear components such as excavating teeth and shrouds thatare attached to a lip of a bucket. A tooth typically includes an adaptersecured to the lip of a bucket and a wear member attached to the adapterto initiate contact with the ground and break up the ground ahead of thedigging edge of the bucket.

During use, the wear parts typically encounter heavy loading and highlyabrasive conditions that at times cause the wear parts to becomedisengaged and lost from the excavating machine. For example, as abucket engages the ground a wear member, also known as a point,occasionally will be lost from the adapter. The operators of theexcavating machines are not always able to see when a wear part has beenlost. It is well known that a lost wear part may cause damage todownstream excavating equipment. For example, a lost wear member maycause damage that leads to additional downtime for conveyors, screens,pumps, and crushers. If a wear part becomes caught in a crusher, thewear part may be ejected and cause a hazard to workers or it may bejammed and require an operator to dislodge the part, which at times maybe a difficult, time-consuming and/or hazardous process. Additionally,continuing to operate the excavating equipment with missing wear partscan lead to a decrease in production and excessive wear on othercomponents on the excavating equipment.

The abrasive environment causes the wear parts to eventually becomeworn. If the wear parts are not replaced at the appropriate time, anexcessively worn wear part can be lost, production may decrease, andother components of the excavating equipment may experience unnecessarywear.

Systems with varying degrees of success have been used to monitor when awear member has been worn or damaged and needs replacement. For example,the Tooth-Wear Monitoring system and Missing Tooth Detection system soldby Motion Metrics uses an optical camera mounted on a shovel boom ofexcavating equipment. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 8,411,930 relates to asystem and method for detecting damaged or missing wear members. Thesystem has a vibration resistant video camera that is preferably mountedon a shovel boom. Because the above systems are located on the shovelboom, the systems only have a clear view of the wear members during aportion of the digging and dumping operation. As a result, there ispotential for the systems to not immediately register that a wear memberhas been lost or needs replacement. In addition should the systemsincorrectly register that a wear member has been lost, the systems mayhave to wait until the next digging and dumping cycle to confirm thatthe wear member is truly lost and that an object was not obstructing thesystems view and registering a false alarm.

Other systems with varying degrees of success have been used to monitorif a wear member is secured to the base on an excavating machine. Forexample, mechanical systems have been fixed between the wear member andthe base for detecting the absence and presence of the wear member. InU.S. Pat. No. 6,870,485, the system contains a spring loaded switchbetween the wear parts. When the wear parts are separated an electricalswitch activates a radio transmitter alerting the operator that a wearpart has been lost. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,031, the system comprises anindicator attached to the tooth and an actuator secured to the nose. Inone example, the actuator actuates, a smoke canister to provide a visualsignal that the tooth has fallen off or is about to fall off. Thesesystems do not determine when a wear member has reached the end of lifeand needs to be replaced and these mechanical systems can be costly andcumbersome to install when a wear member is worn and needs replacement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a system and tool for monitoring wearparts for earth working equipment. The monitoring tool is particularlywell suited for monitoring the presence and health (i.e., the currentwear profile) of wear parts utilized with buckets used for excavating inmining and construction environments.

In one aspect of the invention, electronic sensors are used inconjunction with programmable logic to determine if wear parts arepresent on the earth working equipment. If a wear part is not presentthe programmable logic triggers an alert. The alert notifies theoperator when a wear part has been lost from the excavating equipment.This allows the operator to take the necessary actions to ensure thatthe missing wear part is replaced and that the missing wear part doesnot damage downstream excavating equipment. As examples, the electronicsensor may be a camera, a laser range finder, an ultrasonic sensor, oranother distance measuring sensor. In one preferred construction, thecamera is chosen from a group consisting of 2D cameras, 3D cameras, andinfrared cameras.

In another aspect of the invention, electronic sensors are used inconjunction with programmable logic to determine the degree a wear parton the earth working equipment has been worn. If the wear part is worn apredetermined amount the programmable logic triggers an alert. The alertnotifies the operator when a worn wear part should be replaced. Thisallows the operator to take the actions needed to replace the worn wearpart so that other components of the earth working equipment do notexperience unnecessary wear. As examples, the electronic sensor may be acamera, a laser range finder, an ultrasonic sensor, or another distancemeasuring sensor. In one preferred construction, the camera is chosenfrom a group consisting of 2D cameras, 3D cameras, and infrared cameras.

In another aspect of the invention, electronic sensors are used inconjunction with programmable logic to determine how full a bucket isloaded during a digging operation. In one preferred construction, theprogrammable logic may be programmed to communicate the current and pastloads for each digging cycle to an operator or wireless device. Thisallows the operator to adjust the digging operation to optimally fillthe bucket to the desired capacity. This system could be a stand-alonesystem or integrated with another system such as a monitoring system formonitoring the presence and/or health of wear parts installed on thebucket. As examples, the electronic sensor may be a camera, a laserrange finder, an ultrasonic sensor, or another distance measuringsensor. In one preferred construction, the camera is chosen from a groupconsisting of 2D cameras, 3D cameras, and infrared cameras.

In another aspect of the invention, electronic sensors and programmablelogic are used to determine a percentage that the bucket has beenfilled. The percentage may be determined by measuring the current fillof the bucket and comparing the current fill to the rated capacity ofthe bucket. The electronic sensor may be, for example, a camera, a laserrange finder, an ultrasonic sensor, or another distance measuringsensor. In one preferred construction, the camera is chosen from a groupconsisting of 2D cameras, 3D cameras, and infrared cameras. This systemcould be a stand-alone system or integrated with another system such asa bucket fill monitoring system.

In another aspect of the invention, electronic sensors are used todetermine the digging cycle time. In one preferred construction,programmable logic may be programmed to communicate the current cycletime and past cycle times for each digging cycle of the bucket to anoperator or wireless device. This allows the operator to adjust thedigging operation for optimal performance. As examples, an accelerometerand/or an inclinometer may be used to determine the beginning of adigging cycle. This system may be a stand-alone system or may beintegrated with another system such as a monitoring system formonitoring the presence and/or health of wear parts installed on thebucket.

In another aspect of the invention, electronic sensors are used todetermine high impact events on a bucket digging edge (i.e., higher thanexperienced during the normal digging operation). In one preferredconstruction, programmable logic may record the time of the high impactevent. The programmable logic may be programmed to communicate the highimpact events to an operator or wireless device. As an example, anaccelerometer may be used to determine when a high impact event occurs.This system may be a stand-alone system but can be integrated withanother system such as a monitoring system for monitoring the presenceand/or health of wear parts installed on the bucket. This allows anoperator or maintenance personnel to better determine what may havecaused the current state of the wear parts (e.g., the wear member ispresent, the wear member is lost, and the wear member is worn).

In another aspect of the invention, a tool is installed on a wear partthat engages and moves the earth to be excavated. In one preferredconstruction the tool is installed on a bucket used for excavating sothat the monitoring system has a clear line of sight to a digging edgeof the bucket throughout the digging and dumping operation. The tool maybe secured to an interior surface of the bucket or the tool may besecured to an exterior surface of the bucket. As examples, themonitoring system may be integrated with the shell of the bucket,integrated between two interior plates of a bucket having a double wallshell, or installed on the bridge or top of the bucket.

In another aspect of the invention, features are incorporated onto thewear part to aid in absence and presence detection. In one preferredconstruction, the features are incorporated onto an adapter so that ifthe monitoring system is able to detect the feature the monitoringsystem is programmed to send an alert that the wear member has beenlost. In another preferred construction, the features are incorporatedonto the wear member so that if the monitoring system is able to detectthe feature the monitoring system is programmed to indicate that thewear member has not been lost from the excavating equipment.

In another aspect of the invention, features are incorporated onto thewear part to aid in determining the degree a wear part on the excavatingequipment has been worn. In one preferred construction, a wear partcontains multiple features along the length of the expected wear profileso that as the wear part wears the monitoring system is able to detectthe number of features remaining on the wear part.

In another aspect of the invention, the monitoring system providesalerts to equipment operators, databases, and remote devises when thewear parts on the excavating equipment need maintenance. In onepreferred construction, the monitoring system communicates wirelessly.

In another aspect of the invention, the monitoring system is providedwith a device to display or indicate the status, health, and performanceof the wear parts. In one preferred construction, the monitoring systemis provided with a monitor. In another preferred construction, themonitoring system is integrated with a display system that is a part ofthe excavating equipment being monitored or a display that is remote tothe monitoring system.

In another aspect of the invention, the monitoring system stores thehistory of the status, health, and performance of the wear parts.

In another aspect of the invention, the monitoring system utilizeslights to illuminate the wear parts to be monitored so that theelectronic sensors provide accurate readings regarding the status,health, and performance of the wear parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art mining excavator.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art excavator hoe bucket.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art lip of an excavator hoebucket.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a prior art tooth assembly.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tooth assembly shown inFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of a prior art toothassembly only having a point and an adapter.

FIGS. 7A and 7B outline the general process steps for monitoring thestatus and health of wear parts in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a cross section of a monitoring system of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bucket with a monitoring systeminstalled on the bridge of the bucket in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a top portion of a hydraulic faceshovel bucket with a monitoring system integrated with the shell of thebucket in accordance with the present invention. The lip, bottom wall,side walls, and other details of the bucket are omitted to simplify thedrawing.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an enclosure for a monitoring system inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a nozzle and/or wiping tool for keepinga transparent wall clean in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a device for keeping atransparent material clean in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a wear member with a unique featureand/or pattern along the length of the expected wear profile of the wearmember in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a partial side view taken along lines 15-15 of the wearmember shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a base with a unique feature and/orpattern in the top surface of the base so that the unique feature and/orpattern can only be seen when the wear member is not present inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front view of a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to be usedwith a monitoring system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view of a mobile HMI to be used with a monitoringsystem in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a side view of an electronic sensor to determine the fill ofa bucket in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a side view of an electronic sensor to determine the fill ofa truck body in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention pertains to a system for monitoring the status,health, and performance of wear parts used on various kinds of earthworking equipment including, for example, excavating equipment andground conveying equipment. Excavating equipment is intended as ageneral term to refer to any of a variety of excavating machines used inmining, construction and other activities, and which, for example,include dozers, loaders, dragline machines, cable shovels, face shovels,and hydraulic excavators. Excavating equipment also refers to theground-engaging components of these machines such as the bucket, blade,or the cutter head. Ground conveying equipment is also intended as ageneral term to refer to a variety of equipment that is used to conveyearthen material and which, for example, includes chutes and miningtruck beds or bodies. The present invention is suited for monitoring thestatus, health and performance of wear parts used on excavatingequipment in the form of, for example, excavating buckets, blades, lips,teeth, and shrouds. Additionally, certain aspects of the presentinvention are also suited for monitoring the status and health of a wearsurface in the form of, for example, runners and truck beds or bodies.For convenience of discussion, the wear part monitoring process isdiscussed in terms of a monitoring system that monitors a point on amining excavator, however, the monitoring process may be used with otherwear parts used with many kinds of earth working equipment.

Relative terms such as front, rear, top, bottom and the like are usedfor convenience of discussion. The terms front or forward are generallyused to indicate the usual direction of travel of the earthen materialrelative to the wear part during use (e.g., while digging), and upper ortop are generally used as a reference to the surface over which thematerial passes when, for example, it is gathered into the bucket.Nevertheless, it is recognized that in the operation of various earthworking machines the wear assemblies may be oriented in various ways andmove in all kinds of directions during use.

A mining excavator 1 is equipped with a bucket 3 for gathering earthenmaterial while digging (FIG. 1). The bucket 3 includes a frame or shell4 defining a cavity 16 for gathering material during the diggingoperation (FIG. 2). Shell 4 may include a top wall 6 having attachmentsupports 8 to attach the bucket 3 to earthmoving equipment 1, a bottomwall 10 opposite the top wall 6, a rear end with a back wall 12, and apair of opposing sidewalls 14 each located between the top wall 6, thebottom wall 10, and the back wall 12. The shell 4 may be constructedwith walls having a single plate or may be constructed with portions ofthe bucket having double plates as is well known. Multipleconfigurations of buckets are known and variations in bucket geometryexist, for example, the bucket may not have a top wall as in a draglinebucket, the rear wall may be hinged as in a dipper bucket, or a portionof the side walls may be hinged as in a hydraulic face shovel bucket.The specific geometry of the bucket is not intended to be limiting asthe present invention can be used with various types of buckets and withvarious types of wear parts used on earth working equipment. The bucket3 has a lip 5 that extends forward of the bottom wall 10 and is thedigging edge of the bucket 3 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The digging edge is thatportion of the equipment that leads the contact with the ground. Toothassemblies and shrouds are often secured to the digging edge to protectthe edge and break up the ground ahead of the lip 5. Multiple toothassemblies 7 and shrouds 9, such as disclosed in US Patent ApplicationPublication US-2013/0174453 which is incorporated herein by reference,may be attached to lip 5 of bucket 3 (FIGS. 2-5). The illustrated tooth7 includes an adapter 11 welded to lip 5, an intermediate adapter 13mounted on adapter 11, and a point (also called a tip) 15 mounted onbase 13. Point 15 includes a rearwardly-opening cavity to receive nose17 of base 13, and a front end 19 to penetrate the ground (FIG. 5).Securement mechanisms or locks 21 are used to secure wear member 15 tobase 13, and base 13 to nose 23 (FIG. 5). Other tooth arrangements arepossible, for example, the tooth assembly 7 a may be defined with justan adapter 11 a secured to the lip and a point 15 a (FIG. 6), such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,882,649 which is incorporated herein byreference. One aspect of the present invention pertains to monitoringthe presence and/or health of the wear member on a base. For ease ofdiscussion the application generally discusses monitoring the presenceand/or health of a wear member on a base secured to an excavatingbucket. However, the invention could be used to monitor the presenceand/or health of a wear member on a base on various types of earthworking equipment and may monitor a point on an adapter, a point on anintermediate adapter, an intermediate adapter on an adapter, an adapter,a nose of a cast lip, a shroud, a lip, a blade, a wear runner, a truckliner, or other wear member of other kinds of earth working equipment.During the life of the bucket or other equipment, the wear member wearsout and needs to be replaced a number of times.

When a wear member reaches a minimum recommended wear profile (i.e., thewear member is considered fully worn), the wear member is replaced sothat production does not decrease and the base, upon which the wearmember rests, does not experience unnecessary wear. FIGS. 7A and 7Billustrate the steps to a monitoring system that monitors the status andhealth of wear members on an excavating bucket. The process displaysthree different wear member checks that are performed in parallel andthe results of the three checks results in a process outcome (e.g., wearmember ok for continued operation, wear member is worn, and wear memberis missing). Variations in the process exist, for example, it may bedesirable to only monitor if the wear members are present or to onlymonitor when the wear members are worn such that they should bereplaced. In another example, it may be desirable to perform more than 3different wear member checks or to perform less than 3 wear memberchecks or to only utilize portions of the process. In another examplethe process may be performed in serial (i.e., perform first wear membercheck and proceed to next wear member check if needed). It is alsopossible for the system to estimate the remaining useful life of thewear part based on the amount of the wear part remaining and the rate ofwear to assist the operator in determining when to replace the wearparts.

Because each type of wear member has a recommended or set minimum wearprofile, one of the wear member checks may be to determine the currentlength of each wear member on the bucket. The monitoring system 25 mayuse an electronic sensor 27 to determine the current length of each wearmember on the bucket (FIG. 8). The length of the wear members may be,for example, determined by a camera, an ultra-sonic sensor, a laserinterferometer, or another distance measuring sensor. In someembodiments the camera may be an optical camera or the camera may be athermal imaging camera. In some embodiments, the monitoring system maybe equipped with lights to illuminate the wear part(s) being monitoredso that the electronic sensors may provide accurate readings. The lightsilluminating the wear part(s) may alternatively be a part of the earthworking equipment or it may not be necessary to illuminate the wearparts. If the monitoring system uses a camera to determine the lengthsof the wear members on the bucket, the camera may first acquire an imageof the lip 5 and the attached tooth assemblies 7 (FIG. 3). Nextprogrammable logic on a Central Processing Unit (CPU), controller, PC,or Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) (all of which will be generallyreferenced as a controller) may apply a reference line to the image ofthe bucket lip (not shown). The reference line may, for example, definethe limit of wear allowed for each of the wear members, may representthe lip of the bucket, or the reference line may be an arbitrary line toestablish a “rearward edge” or end point for the programmable logic. Thereference line may be, for example, straight or non-straight dependingon the type of lip and/or wear members. The reference line (not shown)will preferably be located rearward of the leading edge of the lip 5(FIG. 5). The programmable logic may have integrated vision recognitionsoftware to determine the leading edge of each wear member on the lip ofthe bucket. The vision recognition software may be, for example,In-Sight sold by Cognex. The programmable logic is programmed to countthe number of pixels between the reference line and the leading edge ofeach wear member. Based on the pixel count the programmable logic isprogrammed to determine the current length of each wear member. Once thecurrent length of each wear member is determined, the programmable logiccompares the current length to the set minimum wear profile for the typeof wear members installed on the bucket. The programmable logic mayreference a database with the type of wear members currently installedon the bucket or may determine the type of wear members installed on thebucket using vision recognition software. The programmable logic mayalso reference a database of bucket and wear part geometry to assist thevision recognition software in determining the type and number of wearmembers installed on the bucket. If the length of each wear member onthe bucket is greater than the set minimum wear profile (i.e. within aset range) and the results of the other parallel wear member checks areacceptable (e.g., wear member is on the base and the number of edgesextending from the base match the expected number of edges extendingfrom the base) the programmable logic may be programmed to loop back tothe start of the process and again determine the length of each wearmember (FIGS. 7A and 7B). The programmable logic may continually loopthrough the process or there may be a delay built into the process sothat the process is run once during a set time limit. If the currentlength of at least one wear member was close to the minimum wear profile(i.e. within a set range) and the results of the other parallel wearmember checks are acceptable (e.g., wear member is on the base and thenumber of edges extending from the base match the expected number ofedges extending from the base), the programmable logic may be programmedto produce a precautionary alert that a specific wear member is close toneeding replacement. The alert may be, for example, a visual alert,haptic feedback, and/or an audio alert. The monitoring system maywirelessly provide the alerts to equipment operators and/or wirelessdevises for access by the operator or other such as maintenancepersonnel, mine site managers or the like. If, however, the length ofeach wear member is not greater than the minimum wear profile (i.e. lessthan a set range) and the results of the other parallel wear memberchecks are acceptable (e.g., wear member is on the base and the numberof edges extending from the base match the expected number of edgesextending from the base) the programmable logic may be programmed toproduce an alert that the wear member has been worn. The programmablelogic may be programmed to immediately produce the alert or, to reducefalse alarms; the programmable logic may be programmed, for example, torepeat the process a preset number of times or to repeat the processover a preset time frame to validate that outcome of the process. Thisreduces the likelihood that the programmable logic does not register anobject obstructing the wear member or the electronic sensor as a worn ormissing wear member.

Because each wear member and each base has a specific geometry, anotherwear member check may be to determine the features of each wear memberand base on the bucket to assist with knowing if the wear member isstill attached to the base. As will be disclosed in detail below, uniquefeatures and/or patterns may also be included on the wear member or onthe base to assist with knowing if the wear member is still attached tothe base. If the key features, unique features and/or patterns areincorporated onto the wear member and the monitoring system is able todetect the feature and the results of the other parallel wear memberchecks are acceptable (e.g., wear profile is acceptable and the numberof edges extending from the base match the expected number of edgesextending from the base), the monitoring system is programmed that thewear member has not been lost from the excavating equipment. In analternative embodiment, the unique features and/or patterns areincorporated onto a base such that the unique feature and/or pattern canonly be seen if the wear member is missing. If the monitoring systemregisters the features and/or pattern and the results of the otherparallel wear member checks are not acceptable (e.g., wear profile isnot acceptable and the number of edges extending from the base does notmatch the expected number of edges extending from the base), themonitoring system is programmed to produce an alert that the wear memberhas been lost.

Because each base has a specific number of edges extending from it(i.e., for each base there is one wear part extending from the base),another wear member check may be to determine how many edges areextending from the base attached to the lip of the bucket to assist withknowing if the wear member is still attached to the base. This may bedone by counting the number of edges extending from the base or lip(i.e., the number of edges extending from the base or lip in a forwarddirection parallel to the motion of the bucket in a normal diggingoperation) and comparing them to the expected number of edges extendingfrom the base or lip. If, for example, the number of edges extendingfrom the base or lip does not match the expected number of edgesextending from the base or lip and the results of the other parallelwear member checks are acceptable (e.g., wear profile is acceptable andthe wear part is on the base), the programmable logic is programmed togive a precautionary alert (not shown) and/or may be programmed torepeat the monitoring process from the beginning. The monitoring processmay be repeated because there may have been an error in the process(e.g., a rock or other item was miss-interpreted as a wear member). In asimilar fashion if the wear member is on the base but the number ofedges extending from the base does not match the expected number ofedges extending from the base and the wear profile of the wear part isnot acceptable, the programmable logic is programmed to repeat themonitoring process from the beginning (not shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B). Inan alternative embodiment the programmable logic may be programmed tosend a precautionary alert (e.g., the wear member may be worn butsomething may be lodged between the wear members, or the wear member maybe lost and an object is being misinterpreted as a wear member). If thewear profile is acceptable and the number of edges extending from thebase matches the expected number of edges extending from the base butthe wear member is not on the base (e.g. unique feature on base normallynot visible when wear member is present is currently visible), theprogrammable logic may be programmed to repeat the monitoring processfrom the beginning as something may have caused an error in the process(not shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B). If the wear profile is not acceptableand wear member is not on the base but the number of edges extendingfrom the base matches the expected number of edges extending from thebase, the programmable logic may be programmed to repeat the monitoringprocess from the beginning as something may have caused an error in theprocess (not shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B). If the wear profile isacceptable but the number of edges extending from the base does notmatch the expected number of edges extending from the base and the wearmember is not on the base, the programmable logic may be programmed torepeat the monitoring process from the beginning as something may havecaused an error in the process (not shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B).

The results and alerts from the process may be sent to a Human MachineInterface (HMI). Details of the HMI will be discussed in further detailbelow. The bucket health monitoring system may also communicate withother computer systems wirelessly or through a cable the specific wearmember(s) needing maintenance either because the wear member is lost orbecause the wear member is worn past the minimum wear profile. Inaddition the monitoring system may store all of the results from theprocess.

In addition to monitoring the status and health of the wear members onthe bucket, the monitoring system may monitor the performance of thebucket or other wear members. For example, the monitoring system maydetermine how full the bucket is loaded during the digging cycle. As thebucket is loaded, the material being excavated has a tendency to fillthe bucket with an established profile. Once the bucket 3 a has beenfilled by the operator the electronic sensors 27 measure the distance D1to the load 91 within the bucket 3 a (FIG. 19) and programmable logicuses the distance and a database of established fill profiles todetermine the volume of the load within the bucket. The electronicsensors 27 and programmable logic may also determine a percentage thatthe bucket has been filled. The percentage may be determined bycomparing the current fill of the bucket to the rated capacity of thebucket. In an alternative embodiment, the electronic sensors 27 maymeasure the distance D1 to the load 91 within a truck body 3 b (FIG. 20)and programmable logic uses the distance and a database of establishedfill profiles to determine the volume of the load within the truck body.Similar to the bucket the electronic sensors may be used to determinethe percentage that the truck body has been filled. The electronicsensor may be a camera, a laser range finder, an ultrasonic sensor, oranother distance measuring sensor. Programmable logic may determine thepercentage the bucket is filled based on the distance to the load withinthe bucket and. The results from the current digging cycle and pastdigging cycles may be communicated to the equipment operator or to otherdatabases and computer systems. This allows the equipment operator toadapt how the operator digs to optimally fill the bucket and truck body.The monitoring system may, for example, use the same electronic sensorsused for monitoring the status and health of the wear parts or may useseparate electronic sensors to monitor the fill of the bucket. Theelectronic sensors may be, for example, a camera, a laser range finder,or an ultrasonic sensor. The camera may be, for example, a 3D cameracapable of determining depth or may be a camera coupled with visionrecognition software as outlined above. It is also possible for theelectronic sensors for determining the fill of the bucket to be separatecomponents from the monitoring system and not be incorporated with themonitoring system. The use of a monitoring system to monitor the fillingof a bucket could be used as a stand-alone system, i.e., without asystem to monitor the presence and/or health of the wear parts. Thistype of monitoring system could also be used in non-bucket applications(e.g., such as truck trays) to monitor the efficiency or optimization ofthe operator.

The monitoring system may be equipped with electronic sensors that arecapable of determining the cycle time of a digging cycle. For example,the monitoring system may be equipped with an accelerometer and aninclinometer (not shown). The inclinometer provides the orientation ofthe bucket and the accelerometer registers a spike in force when thebucket is at the appropriate digging orientation and thus indicatingthat the digging cycle has started. Programmable logic may determine thetime from the start of one digging cycle to the start of the seconddigging cycle (i.e., time between peaks when inclinometer indicates thatthe bucket is at the appropriate digging orientation). The results fromthe current cycle time and past cycle times may be communicated to theequipment operator or to a wireless device. This allows the operator toadjust the digging operation for optimal performance. It is alsopossible for the electronic sensors for determining the cycle time tonot be incorporated with the monitoring system. Monitoring the fill of abucket or truck tray and/or cycle time can help mine operators (or thelike) to better optimize its operations. In an alternative embodiment, apressure sensor may be used instead of an accelerometer to determinewhen the digging cycle has started. The pressure sensor may be ahydraulic pressure sensor integrated with the boom of the earth workingequipment. In another preferred embodiment, a strain gauge or load cellis used to determine when the digging cycle has started. The straingauge or load cell may be located in the bucket or a wear member on thebucket. In an alternative embodiment, GPS may be used to determine theorientation of the bucket.

The monitoring system may be equipped with electronic sensors that arecapable of determining high impact events on the bucket digging edge(i.e., higher than experienced during normal digging operation). Forexample, the monitoring system may utilize an accelerometer, straingauge, load cell, or pressure sensor to determine peak impacts (notshown). Programmable logic may record the time of the high impact event.The results of the high impact events may be communicated to theequipment operator or to a wireless device. It is also possible for theelectronic sensors for determining the high impact event to be separatecomponents from the electronic sensor for determining the digging cycletime or not be incorporated with the monitoring system.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the monitoring system25 having at least one electronic sensor is incorporated with the bucket3 so that the sensor always has a clear line of sight to the diggingedge or lip 5 of the bucket 3 regardless of how the operator orients thebucket 3 during the digging and dumping operation (FIGS. 9 and 10). Theelectronic sensor may be, for example, integrated with the shell 4 ofthe bucket (FIG. 10), integrated between two interior plates of a buckethaving a double wall shell (not shown), or installed on the bridge 29 ortop of the bucket (FIG. 9). The electronic sensors may be, for example,a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, or a laser interferometer. The cameramay be, for example, a Cognex 7100 camera. Nevertheless, the monitoringsystem could be mounted or integrated with, for example, a boom or othersupport of the excavating equipment, or to the body of the excavatingequipment. In a non-bucket application, the monitoring system may bepreferably mounted and or integrated to a base member supporting thewear part. The base member may be, for example, a truck tray or a blade.If the monitoring system is fixed to the truck tray the monitoringsystem may monitor the presence and/or health of runners on the trucktray. Similarly, if the monitoring system is fixed to the blade of adozer or grader the monitoring system may monitor the presence and/orhealth of the end bits on the blade or the leading edge of the blade.Like mounting the monitoring system on the bucket, mounting on the trucktray or blade would provide a clear line of sight to the part or partsbeing monitored.

The electronic sensor(s) 27 may be housed in one or more enclosures 31in one or more locations on the wear part that engages and moves theground to be excavated to protect the electronic sensor(s) 27 from theharsh mining environment and to keep the aperture 33 of the housing ofthe electronic sensor 27 free of fines, dirt, or other material that maynegatively impact the electronic sensor 27 (FIGS. 8 and 11). Theenclosure 31 may have one or more mounting brackets 35 for mounting theenclosure 31 on the first wear part. The enclosure 31 may houseadditional electronic equipment (not shown) for controlling andprocessing the data from the electronic sensor 27. In an alternativeembodiment, some or all of the additional electronic equipment may behoused on the excavating equipment or in a remote location (not shown).For example, one or more electronic sensors 27 may be located in one ormore locations in/on the bucket and the electronic sensors 27 maycommunicate via a wire or wirelessly with other electronic sensorsand/or the additional electronic equipment within the cab of theexcavating equipment. In alternative embodiments, one or more electronicsensors 27 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 9) may be located on or in asecond wear part(s) that are attached to the first wear part(s) thatengages and moves the ground to be excavated. The first wear part(s) maybe, for example, a bucket, a blade, a truck body, or the like and thesecond wear part(s) may be, for example, a point, an intermediateadapter, an adapter, a shroud, a nose, a lip, a wear runner, a truckliner, or the like. The electronic sensor(s) in the second wear part maycommunicate with electronic sensor(s) on the first wear part, the secondwear part(s) and/or with the additional electronic equipment that may belocated on the first wear part or located remote to the first wear part.As with the electronic sensor(s) in the first wear part, the electronicsensor(s) in the second wear part may communicate via a wire orwirelessly. The additional electronic equipment may be, for example, acontroller, a power supply, a camera, and/or a wireless device. Thecontroller may be, for example, an S7-1200 PLC sold by Siemens. Thepower supply may power just the electronic sensor or may also power theadditional electronic equipment. In an alternative embodiment, two powersupplies are provided. A first power supply to power the electronicequipment and a second power supply to power the additional electronicequipment. The power supply may be, for example, a power supply sold byTDK-Lambda and/or an SDC-5 Power Supply. The camera may be, for example,a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) camera. The CCTV camera may provide aHMI with a live feed of the lip of the bucket. Details of the HMI willbe discussed in further detail below. The wireless device may be, forexample a wireless serial device server sold by B &B Electronics(formerly Quatech).

The enclosure may have at least one cutout 37 on one side so that theaperture 33 of the at least one electronic sensor 27 has a clear line ofsight to the lip 5 of the bucket 3 (FIGS. 8, 9 and 11). In analternative embodiment, the bucket may have a cutout 39 so that theaperture of the electronic sensor has a clear line of sight to the lip(not shown) of the bucket (FIG. 10). The cutout 37 or 39 may be coveredwith a transparent wall 41, a translucent wall, or a clear wall so thatthe electronic sensor is completely sealed within the enclosure (FIGS.8, 10, and 11). In addition a nozzle 43 may be directed to spray air,water, or another type of cleaning agent on the transparent wall 41 sothat as dirt and fines accumulate the air, water or cleaning agentcleans the transparent wall 41 and keeps the transparent wall 41 seethrough (FIG. 12). In an alternative embodiment, the electronic sensormay have a built in transparent cover to protect the aperture of theelectronic sensor and the nozzle may be directed to spray the air,water, or cleaning agent directly on the transparent cover of theelectronic sensor (not shown). In an alternative embodiment, a wipingtool 45 may be provided to clean off the transparent cover of theaperture or the transparent wall 41 (FIG. 12). The wiping tool may beintegrated with a nozzle for spraying the air, the water, or thecleaning agent. In an alternative embodiment the wiping tool may be aseparate tool from the nozzle. The wiping tool may be, for example, acomb, brush, or a squeegee. In an alternative embodiment, the cutout 37in the enclosure or the cutout within the bucket may be provided with afirst spool 47 of transparent material 49 that stretches across thecutout to a second spool 51 (FIG. 13). As the transparent material 49becomes opaque, a motor (not shown) may spin the second spool 51 so thatthe transparent material 49 moves from the first spool 47 to the secondspool 51 and a new section of transparent material 49 covers the cutout.In an alternative embodiment, the cutout may be provided with multiplelayers of transparent material so that when the top layer needs to bereplaced the old top layer can be torn away to expose a new layer oftransparent material (not shown). In yet another alternative embodiment,the aperture of the electronic sensor may have a movable cover. Themovable cover may cover the electronic sensor when not in use and may beremoved so that the electronic sensor can take a measurement (notshown).

The electronic sensor 27 and additional electronic equipment (not shown)may be mounted on vibration dampening devices 53 so that the vibrationsof the digging and dumping operation do not negatively affect theelectronic sensor 27 and additional electronic equipment (FIG. 8).Various vibration dampening devices 53 known in the industry may be usedto dampen the vibrations experienced. The vibration dampening devices 53may be, for example, mounted to the top and bottom of a mounting unit 55that holds the electronic sensor 27. The vibration dampening devices 53may be, for example, elastomers or springs.

A unique feature and/or pattern 57 may be added along the length of theexpected wear profile of the wear member 15 to aid the monitoring systemin determining the current wear profile of the wear member 15 (FIGS. 14and 15). The unique feature and/or pattern 57 may be added to the wearmember 15 at the time of manufacture or after manufacturing. The uniquefeature and/or pattern 57 may be, for example, grooves 59 and/or ridgescut, cast, or forged into the top exterior surface 61 of the wear member15. In an alternative embodiment, the unique feature and/or pattern maybe a hardfacing material applied to the top exterior surface of the wearmember (not shown). As the wear member 15 penetrates the ground and isworn the unique features and/or pattern 57 also wears away. Theelectronic sensor may be able to detect how much of the unique featuresand/or pattern 57 remains (e.g., how many grooves 59 and/or ridgesremain). Based on the current wear profile and the set minimum wearprofile, the health monitoring unit can send an alert (which could be avisual, audible, and/or haptic alarm) when the wear member 15 is aboutto be worn to the minimum wear profile. A separate alert may be sentwhen the wear member 15 has been worn past the minimum wear profile.

Unique features and/or patterns may be incorporated onto the wear memberor base to aid in absence and presence detection. The unique featureand/or pattern may be added to the wear member or base at the time ofmanufacture or after manufacturing. The unique feature and/or pattern 57may be, for example, grooves 59 and/or ridges cut, cast, or forged intothe top exterior surface 61 of the wear member (FIGS. 14 and 15). In analternative embodiment, the unique feature and/or pattern may be ahardfacing material applied to the top exterior surface of the wearmember (not shown). In an alternative embodiment, the unique featureand/or pattern 63 may be, for example, a shape cut, cast, or forged intothe top surface 65 of the base 13 so that the unique feature and/orpattern 63 is only visible if the wear member is no longer attached tothe base 13 (FIGS. 9 and 16). In an alternative embodiment, hardfacingmay be used to apply a shape to the top surface of the base (not shown).In an alternative embodiment, a shape 67 may be cut in the top surface65 of the base 13 and a medallion 69 may be press fit, glued, orotherwise secured within the cut (FIG. 16).

At least one HMI 71 may be provided to display the current status andhealth of the wear members on the bucket (FIGS. 17 and 18). The HMI 71may be hard wired to the monitoring system or may be a wireless device81 (FIG. 18). The HMI 71 may be located in the cab 2 of the excavatingequipment 1 (FIG. 1) or may be located in a remote location. In additionthe HMI may be integrated with a display system currently in theexcavating equipment (e.g., with the OEM display), may be integratedwith a new display system within the excavating equipment, or may beintegrated with a remote display system. The HMI 71 may be configured toprovide a graphical display 73 of the current status of the wear memberson the lip of the bucket (FIGS. 17 and 18). The HMI 71 may, for example,provide visual alerts (e.g., text 75 and/or pictorial images), hapticfeedback (e.g., vibrations), and audio alerts regarding the status ofeach wear member (FIG. 17). The visual alert may be, for example, agraphical picture 77 displaying each wear member and the status of eachwear member (i.e., absent/present, acceptable wear, needingmaintenance). The HMI 71 may be designed to display a live image 79 ofthe lip of the bucket so that an operator can visually check that analert is valid. The HMI may be designed to display a history chart (notshown) so that an operator can determine when an alert happened so thatan operator can take the necessary actions if a wear member is lost.

The various monitoring systems and features can be used together or as asingle stand-alone system without the other capabilities. Although theabove discussion has discussed the invention in connection with teeth ona bucket, the system can be used to sense the presence and/or health ofother wear parts on a bucket such as shrouds, wings, and/or runners.Moreover, systems of the present invention can also be used to monitorthe presence and or health of wear parts on other kinds of earth workingequipment such as runners on chutes or truck trays, or end bits onblades.

The above disclosure describes specific examples for a bucket wearmonitoring system. The system includes different aspects or features ofthe invention. The features in one embodiment can be used with featuresof another embodiment. The examples given and the combination offeatures disclosed are not intended to be limiting in the sense thatthey must be used together.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A tool for monitoring wear parts used onearth working equipment, the tool comprising at least one electronicsensor, a securement mechanism for securing the at least one electronicsensor to a first earth working wear part to monitor the first wear partand a second earth working wear part secured to the first wear part, aprogrammable logic device receiving information from the at least oneelectronic sensor and making a determination of at least one ofpresence, wear, impact, fill, and performance of the first wear part andthe second wear part.
 2. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein thesecurement mechanism is adapted to attach the at least one electronicsensor to a bucket.
 3. A tool in accordance with claim 2 wherein thesecurement mechanism attaches the at least one electronic sensor to aninterior surface of the bucket.
 4. A tool in accordance with claim 2wherein the securement mechanism attaches the at least one electronicsensor to an exterior surface of the bucket.
 5. A tool in accordancewith claim 2 wherein the programmable logic device receives informationfrom the at least one electronic sensor to determine a cycle time of adigging cycle.
 6. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein theprogrammable logic device receives information from the at least oneelectronic sensor to determine when the second wear part has been wornto a state indicating that the second wear part should be replaced.
 7. Atool in accordance with claim 6 wherein the at least one electronicsensor recognizes special features on the second wear part that have noearth working function, and the programmable logic device receivesinformation from the at least one sensor regarding the special featuresto determine wear on the second wear part.
 8. A tool in accordance withclaim 6 including a second sensor secured to the second wear part,wherein the second sensor communicates with the programmable logic sothat information from both the electronic sensor and the at least onesaid second sensor is used to make a determination of at least one ofpresence, wear, impact, fill, and performance of at least one of thefirst wear part and the second wear part.
 9. A tool in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the programmable logic device receives information fromthe at least one electronic sensor to determine when the second wearpart has detached from the first wear part.
 10. A tool in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the securement mechanism is adapted to attach theat least one electronic sensor to a truck body.
 11. A tool in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the securement mechanism is adapted to attach theat least one electronic sensor to a blade.
 12. A tool in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the programmable logic device receives information fromthe at least one electronic sensor to determine when the second wearpart has been worn to a state that the second wear part should bereplaced.
 13. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein the programmablelogic device receives information from the at least one electronicsensor to calculate an operational efficiency of the first and secondwear parts.
 14. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein theprogrammable logic device receives information from the at least oneelectronic sensor to determine a fill level of the first wear part. 15.A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the saidsensors is chosen from a group consisting essentially of a camera, alaser range finder, and an ultrasonic sensor.
 16. A tool in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the programmable logic device receives informationfrom the at least one electronic sensor to determine a high impact eventof the first wear part.
 17. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein atleast one of the said sensors is chosen from a group consistingessentially of a pressure sensor, a stain gauge, a load cell, and anaccelerometer.
 18. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein at leastone of the said sensors is chosen from a group consisting essentially ofan inclinometer and GPS.
 19. A tool in accordance claim 1 wherein theprogrammable logic device receives information from the at least oneelectronic sensor to generate an alert based on the information receivedfrom the at least one electronic sensor.
 20. A tool in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the programmable logic device receives information fromthe at least one electronic sensor and the programmable logiccommunicates the information with a database.
 21. A tool in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the programmable logic device receives informationfrom the at least one electronic sensor and the programmable logiccommunicates the information to a computer system that is remote to thefirst wear part.
 22. A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein the toolhas a vibration dampening device and the at least one electronic sensoris mounted to the vibration dampening device.
 23. A tool in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the said electronic sensor has a housing with anaperture, and the tool includes a cover for protecting the aperture. 24.A tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein the programmable logic deviceis located remote from the first and second wear parts.
 25. A tool inaccordance with claim 1 wherein the programmable logic device is locatedon the first wear part.
 26. A bucket for use with excavating equipment,the bucket comprising: a plurality of walls defining a containmentportion for gathering earthen material to be excavated; a leading edgeto initially contact the earthen material, the leading edge extendingalong one of the said walls defining the containment portion; and atleast one electronic sensor mounted to one of the said walls of thebucket to monitor at least one of impact, fill, and performance of thebucket.
 27. A bucket in accordance with claim 26 wherein the electronicsensor is mounted to an interior wall of the bucket.
 28. A bucket inaccordance with claim 26 wherein the electronic sensor is mounted to anexterior wall of the bucket.
 29. A bucket in accordance with claim 26including a programmable logic device to receive information from the atleast one sensor to determine the at least one of impact, fill andperformance of the bucket.
 30. A bucket in accordance with claim 29including a programmable logic device to receive information from the atleast one sensor to determine the fill of the bucket for each diggingcycle.
 31. A bucket in accordance with claim 30 wherein the programmablelogic device receives information from the at least one sensor todetermine efficiency of the digging operation based on amount of earthenmaterial moved per time of digging.
 32. A bucket in accordance withclaim 26 wherein the at least one electronic sensor is chosen from agroup consisting essentially of a camera, a laser range finder, and anultrasonic sensor.
 33. A bucket in accordance with claim 26 wherein atleast one of the said sensors is chosen from a group consistingessentially of a pressure sensor, a stain gauge, a load cell, and anaccelerometer.
 34. A bucket in accordance with claim 26 wherein at leastone of the said sensors is chosen from a group consisting essentially ofan inclinometer and GPS.
 35. A wear assembly used on earth workingequipment, the wear assembly comprising: a base secured to the earthworking equipment, the base having a unique feature having no supportingfunction and detectable by an electronic sensor when visible; a wearmember including a front end and a rear end, the rear end having amounting portion to receive the base; and a securement mechanism toreleasably secure the wear member to the base wherein the unique featureis hidden when the wear member is mounted on the base and the uniquefeature is visible when the wear member is not mounted on the base toindicate the absence of the wear member.
 36. A bucket for use withexcavating equipment, the bucket comprising: a plurality of wallsdefining a containment portion for gathering earthen material to beexcavated; a leading edge to initially contact the earthen material, theleading edge extending along one of the said walls defining thecontainment portion; wear parts secured along the leading edge; and atleast one electronic sensor mounted to one of the said walls of thebucket to monitor at least one of presence or wear of a plurality of thewear parts.
 37. A bucket in accordance with claim 36 including aprogrammable logic device to receive information from the at least oneelectronic sensor to determine the expected useable life of the wearparts until they should be replaced.
 38. A bucket in accordance withclaim 36 including a programmable logic device to receive informationfrom the at least one electronic sensor to determine when any of thewear parts has detached from the leading edge.
 39. A bucket inaccordance with claim 36 including a programmable logic device toreceive information from the at least one electronic sensor, wherein theat least one electronic sensor recognizes special features on the wearparts that have no earth working function, and the programmable logicdevice determines the presence or wear of each of wear parts based onthe sensing of the special features.
 40. A bucket in accordance withclaim 36 including a programmable logic device to receive informationfrom the at least one electronic sensor to monitor the fill of thebucket on each digging cycle.
 41. A bucket in accordance with claim 36wherein the at least one electronic sensors is chosen from a groupconsisting essentially of a camera, a laser range finder, and anultrasonic sensor.
 42. A bucket in accordance with claim 36 including avibration dampening device supporting the at least one electronicsensor.
 43. A bucket in accordance with claim 36 including a housingwith an aperture to enclose the at least one electronic sensor.